The Mughal Empire’s economy was dependent on agriculture, trade and other industries. During the Mughal era agriculture was the biggest source of income. It was also one of the main sources of livelihood of majority of the people in the country. The crops that were grown included millets, oilseeds, cereals, hemp, chilli, sugarcane, cotton, indigo, betel and other cash crops. The cash crops were silk and cotton and their demand was high because the textile industry was flourishing during this period. In the 1600’s, which is when the Mughals were at their peak, the domestic and international trade increased. The Mughals international trade profited from seaborune trade of the Indian Ocean Trading System. The uniting of all of India improved the domestic trade because there was laws that were in order throughout large areas, these created a favorable environment for trade. New to this era was the minting and the use of silver coins as specie for exchange. There were also taxes across the Mughal Empire that had to be paid in cash. Most of the Mughals tax revenue was on agriculture but some tax was on trade.
Political Backdrop
Before the time of the Mughals India never had a single political authority. In the 1600’s, the Mughal Empire reached its height. The Mughal rulers extended their domain over almost all of India. Akbar and his successors conquered land to the north. Then they gained control over most of the southern territory by 1689. During the Mughal time they had one muslim monarch ruling over the empire. There were local elites and authorities to rule over small provinces within this large empire. But the Mughals eventually had problems governing dispersed and resistant provinces. Since local warrior elites became more autonomous, many could resist the Mughal authority. There were peasant revolts as the distant provinces began to challenge the central rulers. There were successful peasant revolts after the strong handed ruler Aurangzeb, who had ruled from 1658 until he died in 1707.
During the time of the Mughals, the majority of the people lived very poorly. Most of the people were Hindus, even though the rulers were Muslim. Many people were also limited by their castes, with low wages and significant taxes. Traditionally society was divided into four classes. (see diagram below)
The Four Classes of Society (1) The king and the princes (2) The nobles (3) The middle class (4) The lower class.
The Hindu Caste system had also become very rigid. The Sudras were in the lowest cadre of society. With the exception of untouchables, who were the lowest of the low. The Muslims were divided into social classes as well with the Sunnis, the Shias, the Bohras and the Khojas. The Sunnis were in majority and were the privileged class, emperors were also Sunnis. Both Muslim and Hindu society traders had low social statuses. But each community of merchants made its own leader who could intercede and advocate for the local officials on their behalf.(1) Even though traders had a low social stature, the trading community in India, especially in the port towns, included some of the richest merchants. They had as much wealth and power as the merchants of Europe.
A diagram of the Social pyramid of the Mughal Empire
Picture of diagram of Mughal Empire Social structure from lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au
A Diagram of the Hindu Caste System
Picture of Hindu Caste System from WiseGEEK.com
The general life for women in the Mughal time period was not good. Polygamy was very common among the Muslims, so was divorce. Men could get it very easily, but women could not. Among the Hindus women had no right to divorce their husbands.(2)
(1) Mamta Aggarwal, "Classification of Society during Mughal Period," History Discussion Discuss Anything About History, September 23, 2013, section goes here, accessed November 04, 2015,
(2) Sonali, "Religious and Social Conditions of Society during the Mughal Rule," History Discussion Discuss Anything About History, November 29, 2014, section goes here, accessed November 04, 2015, http://www.historydiscussion.net/history-of-india/religious-and-social-conditions-of-society-during-the-mughal-rule/2838.
Education
Under the Mughal rule special attention was given to education. The first Mughal ruler Babur was a great scholar and established a public works department, which continued to exist under later Mughal emperors. He also built more schools and colleges. During Akbar’s reign helpful changes were introduced in the syllabus of education through the efforts of Shah Fathullah Shirazi.(1) Islamic schools were built attached to mosques. Throughout the Mughal Empire principle centers of learning were in Lahore, Delhi, Ajmer, Sialkot, Multan, Ahmadabad, Allahabad, Lucknow, Murshidabad, and Dacca.(2) In the these institutions of learning students revived education free of cost. Scholars were attracted to these institutions from Persia and Central Asia.
During the Mughal Period painting was essentially a court art. There were both Indian and Islamic styles of painting. Art developed under the the requests of the ruling Mughal emperors and began to decline when the rulers lost interest. The subjects painted were generally illustrations of historical works and Persian and Indian literature, portraits of the emperor and his court, studies of natural life, and genre scenes. The technique of Mughal painting, at first, often involved a team of artists, one determining the composition, a second doing the actual coloring, and sometimes a specialist working on individual faces.
The Emperor Aurangzeb Carried on a Palanquin
Painting by Bhavanidas Date: ca. 1705–20 Culture: Islamic
The Emperor Aurangzeb Carried on a Palanquin is painted by Bhavanidas in 1705–20. It is an islamic style of painting. This work of art depicts the emperor Aurangzeb, who ruled from 1656 to 1707. He is with his royal hunting party and servants. This is one of the final grand imperial images of the Mughal era. Preparations for the chase are shown in this painting, you can see this from the row of hunters in the foreground. If you look closely you can see others who lead deer as bait or carry leafy screens for camouflage.
Picture from the Metropolitan Museum of Art website
Reception of a Persian Ambassador by a Mughal Prince
Painted by UnknownDate: early 17th centuryCulture: Islamic
Picture from the Metropolitan Museum of Art website
Dagger and Sheath
Artist: Unknown Date: ca. 1605–27 Culture: Indian, MughalMedium: Steel, gold, ruby, emerald, wood, textile, glass This object is a decorated dagger and sheath made around 1605–27 during the Mughal era. The hilt of the dagger is constructed of heavy sections of gold over an iron core. All the intricately engraved surfaces are set with gems and colored glass finely cut into floral forms. The designs are similar to those in Mughal painting of the early seventeenth century. This suggests that the dagger was made during the reign of Emperor Jahangir (1605–27), whose love of nature and flowers is well known.
Picture from the Metropolitan Museum of Art website
Maharana Amar Singh II with Ladies of the Zenana outside the Picture Hall at Rajnagar
Artist: Attributed to Stipple MasterDate: ca. 1707–8Culture: Indian This painting is of Rajnagar, in India, which had special importance to Amar Singh II. The painter of this work was the Stipple Master. The Stipple Master served as a painter for Prince Amar Singh II, around the years 1692–98. In this work Amar Singh II appears naked to the waist, This was common in many of the paintings painted by the Stipple Master. The painter’s technique of dots and short strokes is clearly visible on Amar Singh II torso. The background is largely unpainted. The color accents are employed sparingly. It is apparent that the artist’s uses the hierarchical order and depicts the prince larger than the attendant ladies of the zenana.
Picture from the Metropolitan Museum of Art website
The Demon Kumbhakarna Is Defeated by Rama and Lakshmana
Artist: Unknown Date: ca. 1670Culture: India
Picture from the Metropolitan Museum of Art website
Shield with Hunting and Landscape Vignettes
Object Name: ShieldDate: second half 17th centuryCulture: IslamicMedium: Steel; with gold overlay Location of the Object: India
This is an Islamic style Mughal shield made of steel with gold overlay. It was made in the second half of the 17th century. The Mughal aesthetics are reflected in weaponry from the time. On the border of the rim a ruler who is accompanied by his attendants’ is shown. He has his rifle aimed to attack a furious lion. The hunting scene depicts movement with dogs and a tiger jumping on their prey and an aggressive elephant. The outer border of the shield contains floral and leaf motifs that were characteristic of the period of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir. The central knob of the shield bears an intricately engraved landscape with architecture and rock formation. All of the decoration suggests that this may be a royal object.
Picture from the Metropolitan Museum of Art website
Classic Literary Texts
Here is an example of Mughal Poetry. During the Mughal Period, Persian literature flourished. Poetry was the most popular tool of literary expression. Muslims, both Indian and foreigners were particularly fond of it. Being a poet was recognized as a normal profession during this time. The poets of the Mughal period wrote in Persian and their poems usually revolved around a central there. There theme in most cases was love.
This is an excerpt from a book by Hadi Hasan on Mughal poetry.
Religion
Religion played a key role in the culture of the Mughal Dynasty. It was a time period of peaceful religious and cultural flourishing between the Hindus and Muslims of India. The Mughals were Muslims, and the creation of the Mughal empire helped to consolidate Islam in South Asia and spread the Muslim religion as well as Muslim (and Persian) arts and culture. Since they were Muslim it was a challenge ruling a country with a large Hindu majority. Although they did allow Hindus to reach senior government or military positions. (1) It presented many obstacles, and required the Mughal rulers to practice religious sensitivity, in order to maintain power over their great empire. The Emperor Akbar the Great, who ruled the Mughal Empire from 1556 to 1605, was one of the most important Mughal rulers for fostering religious cohesion amongst Muslims and Hindus.(2) The intolerance of the the last Mughal Emperor towards other religions besides Islam is what led to the breakup of this cohesive system, which then continued to deteriorate for centuries.
From this project I have learned a lot about the art of internet- based research. An important thing to remember is using your common sense. For example you would not think that a 7th grader who studied a topic is a credible resource to cite in your research project. So you should not use what a 7th grader wrote online about a subject. There is a lot of extra information that is not necessarily relevant to your project even if it is about the same topic. There is a lot of information on the internet, and doing internet based research is all about reading and sorting through all of that information and finding what is relevant and helpful, for you to know, and then be able to teach others about.
F: Follows directions but steals material. Both footnotes (or endnotes) and a bibliography (in Chicago Manual of Style format) are expected. You can change text using the T button to create superscript numbers.1 In short, treat the project like writing a research paper. There should be a caption under each picture that gives the name, originator, date, and source. Paragraphs and descriptions should be your writing, not another author's work pasted in with a few key words changed using the thesaurus function in Word. D: Follows directions, cites sources, doesn't complete the project, is riddled with errors. It is evident that the team failed to use its time well. C: Follows directions. Pastes the correct items into the correct places but takes no care in explaining the choices made. Uses less than six sources. Text is SLOPPY - no proofing! B: Follows directions. Describes the choices made using complete sentences and clear language. Labels items correctly. Cites sources. Organizes the visuals. The paragraphs are clearly written, but general in nature. A: Does B - but, shows some extra care, thought and research. An A has a "Wow" factor. This does not mean more color or flying moneys. It means that the content selected does a great job TEACHING about the culture of the in that region in that time period.
File Not Found
File Not Found This is the rubric that I have used in the past. It functions well as a checklist.
The Mughal Empire by Lillie Lovell
Map of the Mughal Empire
Map from mughalempireproject.weeby.com
Economic Backdrop
The Mughal Empire’s economy was dependent on agriculture, trade and other industries. During the Mughal era agriculture was the biggest source of income. It was also one of the main sources of livelihood of majority of the people in the country. The crops that were grown included millets, oilseeds, cereals, hemp, chilli, sugarcane, cotton, indigo, betel and other cash crops. The cash crops were silk and cotton and their demand was high because the textile industry was flourishing during this period. In the 1600’s, which is when the Mughals were at their peak, the domestic and international trade increased. The Mughals international trade profited from seaborune trade of the Indian Ocean Trading System. The uniting of all of India improved the domestic trade because there was laws that were in order throughout large areas, these created a favorable environment for trade. New to this era was the minting and the use of silver coins as specie for exchange. There were also taxes across the Mughal Empire that had to be paid in cash. Most of the Mughals tax revenue was on agriculture but some tax was on trade.
Political Backdrop
Before the time of the Mughals India never had a single political authority. In the 1600’s, the Mughal Empire reached its height. The Mughal rulers extended their domain over almost all of India. Akbar and his successors conquered land to the north. Then they gained control over most of the southern territory by 1689. During the Mughal time they had one muslim monarch ruling over the empire. There were local elites and authorities to rule over small provinces within this large empire. But the Mughals eventually had problems governing dispersed and resistant provinces. Since local warrior elites became more autonomous, many could resist the Mughal authority. There were peasant revolts as the distant provinces began to challenge the central rulers. There were successful peasant revolts after the strong handed ruler Aurangzeb, who had ruled from 1658 until he died in 1707.
Timeline
The Mughal Empire Timeline
Social Backdrop
During the time of the Mughals, the majority of the people lived very poorly. Most of the people were Hindus, even though the rulers were Muslim. Many people were also limited by their castes, with low wages and significant taxes. Traditionally society was divided into four classes. (see diagram below)
The Four Classes of Society
(1) The king and the princes
(2) The nobles
(3) The middle class
(4) The lower class.
The Hindu Caste system had also become very rigid. The Sudras were in the lowest cadre of society. With the exception of untouchables, who were the lowest of the low. The Muslims were divided into social classes as well with the Sunnis, the Shias, the Bohras and the Khojas. The Sunnis were in majority and were the privileged class, emperors were also Sunnis. Both Muslim and Hindu society traders had low social statuses. But each community of merchants made its own leader who could intercede and advocate for the local officials on their behalf.(1) Even though traders had a low social stature, the trading community in India, especially in the port towns, included some of the richest merchants. They had as much wealth and power as the merchants of Europe.
A diagram of the Social pyramid of the Mughal Empire
Picture of diagram of Mughal Empire Social structure from
lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au
A Diagram of the Hindu Caste System
Picture of Hindu Caste System from WiseGEEK.com
The general life for women in the Mughal time period was not good. Polygamy was very common among the Muslims, so was divorce. Men could get it very easily, but women could not. Among the Hindus women had no right to divorce their husbands.(2)
(1) Mamta Aggarwal, "Classification of Society during Mughal Period," History Discussion Discuss Anything About History, September 23, 2013, section goes here, accessed November 04, 2015,
(2) Sonali, "Religious and Social Conditions of Society during the Mughal Rule," History Discussion Discuss Anything About History, November 29, 2014, section goes here, accessed November 04, 2015, http://www.historydiscussion.net/history-of-india/religious-and-social-conditions-of-society-during-the-mughal-rule/2838.
Education
Under the Mughal rule special attention was given to education. The first Mughal ruler Babur was a great scholar and established a public works department, which continued to exist under later Mughal emperors. He also built more schools and colleges. During Akbar’s reign helpful changes were introduced in the syllabus of education through the efforts of Shah Fathullah Shirazi.(1) Islamic schools were built attached to mosques. Throughout the Mughal Empire principle centers of learning were in Lahore, Delhi, Ajmer, Sialkot, Multan, Ahmadabad, Allahabad, Lucknow, Murshidabad, and Dacca.(2) In the these institutions of learning students revived education free of cost. Scholars were attracted to these institutions from Persia and Central Asia.
(1) "Education under the Mughals," Education in Mughal Empire, Education in Akbar Rule, History of Mughal Empire, section goes here, accessed November 04, 2015, http://www.historytuition.com/medieval_india/mughal-empire/education.html.
(2) "Education under the Mughals," Education in Mughal Empire, Education in Akbar Rule, History of Mughal Empire, section goes here, accessed November 04, 2015, http://www.historytuition.com/medieval_india/mughal-empire/education.html.
Artistic Innovation
During the Mughal Period painting was essentially a court art. There were both Indian and Islamic styles of painting. Art developed under the the requests of the ruling Mughal emperors and began to decline when the rulers lost interest. The subjects painted were generally illustrations of historical works and Persian and Indian literature, portraits of the emperor and his court, studies of natural life, and genre scenes. The technique of Mughal painting, at first, often involved a team of artists, one determining the composition, a second doing the actual coloring, and sometimes a specialist working on individual faces.
The Emperor Aurangzeb Carried on a Palanquin
Painting by BhavanidasDate: ca. 1705–20
Culture: Islamic
The Emperor Aurangzeb Carried on a Palanquin is painted by Bhavanidas in 1705–20. It is an islamic style of painting. This work of art depicts the emperor Aurangzeb, who ruled from 1656 to 1707. He is with his royal hunting party and servants. This is one of the final grand imperial images of the Mughal era. Preparations for the chase are shown in this painting, you can see this from the row of hunters in the foreground. If you look closely you can see others who lead deer as bait or carry leafy screens for camouflage.
Picture from the Metropolitan Museum of Art website
Reception of a Persian Ambassador by a Mughal Prince
Painted by UnknownDate: early 17th centuryCulture: IslamicPicture from the Metropolitan Museum of Art website
Dagger and Sheath
Artist: UnknownDate: ca. 1605–27
Culture: Indian, MughalMedium: Steel, gold, ruby, emerald, wood, textile, glass
This object is a decorated dagger and sheath made around 1605–27 during the Mughal era. The hilt of the dagger is constructed of heavy sections of gold over an iron core. All the intricately engraved surfaces are set with gems and colored glass finely cut into floral forms. The designs are similar to those in Mughal painting of the early seventeenth century. This suggests that the dagger was made during the reign of Emperor Jahangir (1605–27), whose love of nature and flowers is well known.
Picture from the Metropolitan Museum of Art website
Maharana Amar Singh II with Ladies of the Zenana outside the Picture Hall at Rajnagar
Artist: Attributed to Stipple MasterDate: ca. 1707–8Culture: IndianThis painting is of Rajnagar, in India, which had special importance to Amar Singh II. The painter of this work was the Stipple Master. The Stipple Master served as a painter for Prince Amar Singh II, around the years 1692–98. In this work Amar Singh II appears naked to the waist, This was common in many of the paintings painted by the Stipple Master. The painter’s technique of dots and short strokes is clearly visible on Amar Singh II torso. The background is largely unpainted. The color accents are employed sparingly. It is apparent that the artist’s uses the hierarchical order and depicts the prince larger than the attendant ladies of the zenana.
Picture from the Metropolitan Museum of Art website
The Demon Kumbhakarna Is Defeated by Rama and Lakshmana
Artist: Unknown Date: ca. 1670Culture: IndiaPicture from the Metropolitan Museum of Art website
Shield with Hunting and Landscape Vignettes
Object Name: ShieldDate: second half 17th centuryCulture: IslamicMedium: Steel; with gold overlayLocation of the Object: India
This is an Islamic style Mughal shield made of steel with gold overlay. It was made in the second half of the 17th century. The Mughal aesthetics are reflected in weaponry from the time. On the border of the rim a ruler who is accompanied by his attendants’ is shown. He has his rifle aimed to attack a furious lion. The hunting scene depicts movement with dogs and a tiger jumping on their prey and an aggressive elephant. The outer border of the shield contains floral and leaf motifs that were characteristic of the period of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir. The central knob of the shield bears an intricately engraved landscape with architecture and rock formation. All of the decoration suggests that this may be a royal object.
Picture from the Metropolitan Museum of Art websiteClassic Literary Texts
Here is an example of Mughal Poetry. During the Mughal Period, Persian literature flourished. Poetry was the most popular tool of literary expression. Muslims, both Indian and foreigners were particularly fond of it. Being a poet was recognized as a normal profession during this time. The poets of the Mughal period wrote in Persian and their poems usually revolved around a central there. There theme in most cases was love.
This is an excerpt from a book by Hadi Hasan on Mughal poetry.
Religion
Religion played a key role in the culture of the Mughal Dynasty. It was a time period of peaceful religious and cultural flourishing between the Hindus and Muslims of India. The Mughals were Muslims, and the creation of the Mughal empire helped to consolidate Islam in South Asia and spread the Muslim religion as well as Muslim (and Persian) arts and culture. Since they were Muslim it was a challenge ruling a country with a large Hindu majority. Although they did allow Hindus to reach senior government or military positions. (1) It presented many obstacles, and required the Mughal rulers to practice religious sensitivity, in order to maintain power over their great empire. The Emperor Akbar the Great, who ruled the Mughal Empire from 1556 to 1605, was one of the most important Mughal rulers for fostering religious cohesion amongst Muslims and Hindus.(2) The intolerance of the the last Mughal Emperor towards other religions besides Islam is what led to the breakup of this cohesive system, which then continued to deteriorate for centuries.
(1) "The Mughal Empire," BBC News, section goes here, accessed November 04, 2015, http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/mughalempire_1.shtml.
(2) Greg Safaran, "Muslim Hindu Religious Interactions in the Mughal Empire: The Birth and Death of a Cohesive Culture," Sensible Reason, November 6, 2011, section goes here, accessed November 04, 2015, http://sensiblereason.com/muslim-hindu-religious-interactions-in-the-mughal-empire-the-birth-and-death-off-a-cohesive-culture/.
Architecture
The Taj Mahal is an example of monumental architecture built by the Mughals.
Picture of the Taj Mahal from telegraph.co.uk
Watch this video for information on the Taj Mahal
http://www.history.com/topics/taj-mahal/videos
picture of the Taj Mahal from Wikipedia
Observations about what we have learned.
From this project I have learned a lot about the art of internet- based research. An important thing to remember is using your common sense. For example you would not think that a 7th grader who studied a topic is a credible resource to cite in your research project. So you should not use what a 7th grader wrote online about a subject. There is a lot of extra information that is not necessarily relevant to your project even if it is about the same topic. There is a lot of information on the internet, and doing internet based research is all about reading and sorting through all of that information and finding what is relevant and helpful, for you to know, and then be able to teach others about.
BibliographyAggarwal, Mamta. "Classification of Society during Mughal Period." History Discussion Discuss Anything About History. September 23, 2013. Accessed November 04, 2015. http://www.historydiscussion.net/society/classification-of-society-during-mughal-period-indian-history/700."Education under the Mughals." Education in Mughal Empire, Education in Akbar Rule, History of Mughal Empire. Accessed November 04, 2015. http://www.historytuition.com/medieval_india/mughal-empire/education.html.Hasan, Hadi. "Mughal Poetry." Google Books. Accessed November 04, 2015. https://books.google.com/books?id=SkedNc1e6SsC&pg=PA3&dq=Mughal%2Bpoetry&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCAQuwUwAGoVChMI3IS0_pT3yAIVxnE-Ch2DVQSJ#v=onepage&q=Mughal%20poetry&f=false.Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accessed November 4, 2015. http://www.metmuseum.org/search-results?ft=mughal&x=0&y=0&rpp=10&pg=5.The Mughal Empire and Historical Reputation: Crash Course World History #217. Performed by John Green. November 21, 2014. Accessed November 4, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbuM0aJjVgE."The Mughal Empire." BBC News. Accessed November 04, 2015. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/mughalempire_1.shtml."Mughal Painting." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Accessed November 04, 2015. http://www.britannica.com/art/Mughal-painting."Mughal Society." , Mughal Empire, Mughal Empire History, Society of Mughal Empire. Accessed November 04, 2015. http://www.historytuition.com/medieval_india/mughal-empire/society.html.Safaran, Greg. "Muslim Hindu Religious Interactions in the Mughal Empire: The Birth and Death of a Cohesive Culture." Sensible Reason. November 6, 2011. Accessed November 04, 2015. http://sensiblereason.com/muslim-hindu-religious-interactions-in-the-mughal-empire-the-birth-and-death-off-a-cohesive-culture/.Sonali. "Religious and Social Conditions of Society during the Mughal Rule." History Discussion Discuss Anything About History. November 29, 2014. Accessed November 04, 2015. http://www.historydiscussion.net/history-of-india/religious-and-social-conditions-of-society-during-the-mughal-rule/2838."Spanish Empire." - New World Encyclopedia. Accessed November 05, 2015. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Spanish_Empire.Tignor, Robert, Jeremy Adelman, Stephen Aron, Stephen Kotkin, Suzanne Marchand, Gyan Prakash, and Michael Tsin. Worlds Together, Worlds Apart . from 1000 CE to the Present. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011.Wikipedia. Accessed November 05, 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casta.
Grading:
F: Follows directions but steals material. Both footnotes (or endnotes) and a bibliography (in Chicago Manual of Style format) are expected. You can change text using the T button to create superscript numbers.1 In short, treat the project like writing a research paper. There should be a caption under each picture that gives the name, originator, date, and source. Paragraphs and descriptions should be your writing, not another author's work pasted in with a few key words changed using the thesaurus function in Word.D: Follows directions, cites sources, doesn't complete the project, is riddled with errors. It is evident that the team failed to use its time well.
C: Follows directions. Pastes the correct items into the correct places but takes no care in explaining the choices made. Uses less than six sources. Text is SLOPPY - no proofing!
B: Follows directions. Describes the choices made using complete sentences and clear language. Labels items correctly. Cites sources. Organizes the visuals. The paragraphs are clearly written, but general in nature.
A: Does B - but, shows some extra care, thought and research. An A has a "Wow" factor. This does not mean more color or flying moneys. It means that the content selected does a great job TEACHING about the culture of the in that region in that time period.
This is the rubric that I have used in the past. It functions well as a checklist.